PORTLAND, Ore. — Walter C. Cole, higher often called the long-lasting drag queen who carried out for many years as Darcelle XV, has died of pure causes in Portland, Oregon. Cole was 92.
Darcelle, who died Thursday, was topped the world’s oldest working drag performer in 2016 by the Guinness E book of World Information and was regaling audiences till the very finish.
As a performer, Darcelle was identified for internet hosting the longest-running drag present on the U.S. West Coast. Off stage, Cole championed LGBTQ+ rights and charitable work within the Portland group.
The nightclub that Darcelle opened greater than 50 years in the past in downtown Portland, Darcelle XV Showplace, mentioned it was heartbroken in a Fb put up. “We ask for privateness and persistence as everybody processes and grieves in their very own means and at their very own tempo,” the membership mentioned.
In addition they mentioned that particulars of a public memorial can be introduced and all reveals on the Showplace will go on as scheduled, per Darcelle’s needs.
“Please be a part of us and have fun her legacy and reminiscence, thanks upfront in your continued help,” it concluded.
The membership, which had grow to be a Portland cultural establishment by the Seventies, was listed in 2020 on the Nationwide Register of Historic Locations, turning into the primary web site in Oregon to be nominated particularly for its significance in LGBTQ+ historical past.
Followers mourned the demise on social media, together with Portland’s mayor and Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden, who mentioned “Darcelle carved out an unforgettable chapter in Portland’s historical past” along with her “pioneering braveness.”